The James Beard Foundation announced semi-finalists for its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards this morning. There are 19 categories and at least 20 semi-finalists in each of them. As is often the case, New Orleans is well-represented.

DINAH ROGERS / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEDonald Link is among 20 semi-finalists for Outstanding Chef for this year's James Beard Awards. He's pictured at Herbsaint, which is a semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurant. Stephen Stryjewski, Link's co-chef and partner at Cochon, is among seven local semi-finalists in Best Chef: South.

A number of local chefs and restaurants also made the semi-finalists lists in a variety of national categories: Mondo for Best New Restaurant; Donald Link (Herbsaint, Cochon, Cochon Butcher) for Outstanding Chef; Beth Biundo (Lilette) for Outstanding Pastry Chef; Herbsaint for Outstanding Restaurant; Brigtsen’s and Emeril’s for Outstanding Service; Emeril’s for Outstanding Wine Service; and Sue Zemanick (Gautreau’s) for Rising Star Chef of the Year, which honors chefs under 30.

The James Beard Foundation Awards (full disclosure: I chair the committee that oversees the Restaurant and Chef Awards) are routinely described as the Oscars of the food world. But to borrow Olympics parlance, this is not the medal round. A pool of over 500 judges, which includes past award winners, vote on the semi-finalists, which determines the five final nominees in each category. The nominees are announced in March, the winners at the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception in New York City in May. It’s a black-tie affair, and you don’t get there if you never make it to the semi-finalists stage.

Most of the names listed above know the drill. Boswell, Harris, Zemanick and Emeril’s were all nominees in their respective categories last year; many others were semi-finalists. Susan Spicer, chef and co-owner of Mondo as well as Bayona, has earned more than one Beard medal. Same goes for Link and Commander’s. The namesakes of Emeril’s and Brigtsen’s are past Beard winners as well.

Chefs with New Orleans ties working in other cities show up as well. Anne Kearney is a semi-finalist in the Great Lakes region. Rue Dumaine, the name of her restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, nods to her former French Quarter restaurant Peristyle. Former Restaurant August chef de cuisine Lee Richardson of Ashley’s at Capital Hotel in Little Rock, AR, is a semi-finalist in the South. Bryan Caswell of Reef in Houston, a semi-finalist in Best Chef: Southwest, was born in Lafayette.